Cooking Lessons
by Alice-pyon
Summary: AU. Mako is sick and tired of his neighbor, Korra, whose attempts at cooking have led to forty-eight straight fire alarm building evacuations. Finally reaching his limit, Mako angrily takes it upon himself to teach her how to cook in the form of nightly lessons at his apartment.
1. Chapter 1

Hello! This is a short AU that I couldn't get out of my head after seeing this post on tumblr by pumpkinsdean titled 'oddly specific aus i need'. I can't link it here, but both pumkinsdean and their post can be easily googled!

The prompt: 'sorry i set the fire alarm in our building off again for the forty-eighth time i was trying to cook' AU

Summary: Mako is sick and tired of his neighbor, Korra, who's attempts at cooking have led to forty-eight straight fire alarm building evacuation. Finally reaching his limit, Mako angrily takes it upon himself to teach her how to cook in the form of nightly lessons at his apartment.

This will be a short fic, probably only a few chapters or so. I hope you guys enjoy! Reviews and favs are appreciated! Thanks!

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><p><em>Beep beep beep beep beep.<em>

"No…" Mako groaned, burying his face further into his pillow.

_BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP._

"ARGH, you have _got_ to be kidding me!" Mako yelled, sitting up and hurling his pillow against the wall opposite his bed. He groggily climbed out and headed for the door. Flinging it open, he stumbled across his living room and left his apartment, not bothering to lock the door behind him.

_BEEEEEEEP BEEEEEEP BEEEEEEEP!_

Mako trudged down the hall and to the stairs that led down two floors to the lobby. On the second flight of stairs, the door to the first floor opened and a woman with glossy black hair and pink pajamas stepped out.

They locked eyes. Mako's nostrils flared.

"Asami, don't tell me –"

"_Yes,_ Mako, it was her doing again, but please don't blame her, she's just trying to –"

"This is the _forty-eight_ time she's done this," Mako snapped, waving his arms around wildly. "Of _course_ I'm blaming her, why wouldn't I?"

Asami smirked. "You've been keeping count?"

"Y-yes, I have, because she is so god damn _annoying_," Mako grunted. "Asami, you're her best friend, tell her to stop!"

"I've tried suggesting it, but she's really determined," Asami shrugged, heading downstairs. Mako followed behind her. "Please don't be angry with her. Keep your temper in check."

If anyone knew about his temper, it was Asami. She and Mako had dated two years ago; they'd both met each other after moving into the same apartment building. Now, they were simply good friends.

Mako had kept his mouth shut during the previous forty-seven incidents, as a favor to Asami, but this was the _last_ straw. He'd reached his limit.

Asami opened the door to the lobby. The lights were dimmed and it was deserted. Everyone who lived in the building was already outside. While making their way to the apartment building's door, three firemen walked into the lobby and ambled upstairs. While there was probably no real threat, it was mandatory for them to check the smoke and carbon dioxide levels in the building.

A crowd of people stood outside in the street, shivering in the cool autumn air. Mako wished he had brought a jacket. Or some shoes.

Scanning the crowd, his brows furrowed when he spotted the short, muscled girl, leaning against the side of the fire truck. Mako snarled.

"No, don't –!" Asami cried, but Mako was already pushing past his neighbors and stomping over to the direct cause of so many sleepless nights –

"Heeey, Mako," Korra said, trying to sound as cool and relaxed as possible. It backfired, however, when she started coughing violently.

She was wearing a blue tank top and black athletic shorts and was absolutely covered from head to toe in soot. Mako started to feel sorry for her, but then realized that it was her _own damn fault._

"I am _sick_ of this," Mako stated, stepping up to Korra and glaring down at her. Korra blinked, taken aback. "This is the _forty-eighth_ time –"

"You're keeping count?"

"– that you've set of the fire alarm, Korra! This is the _forty-eighth _time that I've gotten out of bed at some ungodly hour because _you_ can't get your shit together and learn how to cook a _proper meal_!"

Korra huffed and crossed her arms. "How do you know this fire alarm is _my _fault this time, Captain Crankypants?"

Mako's eyed shifted downward, and Korra followed his gaze to her soot-covered clothes and skin. "Oh…" She shrugged. "Look, I'm trying my best, okay? It was just an accident! I put the fire out quickly – no one was hurt!"

"That's not the point!" Mako yelled, his hands pulling at his snarled hair. Korra arched an eyebrow. "You're a nuisance to everyone in this building, don't you understand that?"

"I don't do this on _purpose,_" Korra snarled, standing on tip-toes with her fists clenched. "Stop being such a jerk!"

"I'm not a jerk! I'm just a man who wants to get some sleep, but I _can't_ because my neighbor keeps blowing stuff up in her kitchen at two in the morning!"

Korra pursed her lips. "It's actually three in the morning, just saying…"

"ARGH!" Mako seethed, turning and kicking the fire truck beside them. "Ow, ow, ow!"

"That's what you get for kicking big metal trucks," Korra smirked, watching as he hopped painfully on one foot.

"You're infuriating!"

"No, _you're_ infuriating!"

They both glared at each other – cerulean clashing with amber. Finally, Mako sighed.

"Look, just… _stop_. Stop trying to cook your own meals. You're a disturbance to everyone in this building."

"Everyone here has been really nice about it," Korra countered. "They all understand that accidents happen. You're the only one that's getting their knickers in a twist here."

"I don't wear _knickers_," Mako said, taking the figure-of-speech rather literally.

"Fine, boxers then, Korra muttered, eyeing his blue and white stripped undergarments.

"Eyes up here, Korra," Mako snapped, and Korra looked up with a blush.

"You're not going to stop with the whole 'Master Chef' charade?" He asked slowly.

Korra shook her head. "Nope."

"Fine then," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I can't believe I'm about to do this…"

"…Do what?"

"I'm going to teach you how to cook," Mako stated. "We start tomorrow night."


	2. Chapter 2

Look - I updated this! It's a Christmas miracle!

No, actually I'm truly sorry for not touching this in so long. I was writing this just before the series finale and then, for obvious reasons, I had a major writer's block when it came to Makorra. I was really uncomfortable to even write about them for awhile, just based on the constant toxicity in the fandom, but I'm cool now! Just because my ship wasn't cannon doesn't mean I can't write about them and express myself!

So tah-dah! Hope you all enjoy this! I had fun writing it!

Reviews, favorites, and follows are much appreciated~

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><p>"This is so stupid," Korra muttered bitterly, tying an apron around her waist.<p>

The apron belonged to Mako, and they were both currently standing in the kitchen of his apartment. It was late – a bit past midnight – but Korra had only just gotten back from work an hour ago. She was exhausted and tired and cranky and just wanted to eat dinner and go to bed, but this wasn't going to be the case with Mako.

He was determined to teach her how to cook, and frankly Korra didn't get a say in the matter.

Right when she'd gotten home Mako started slamming his fist against her apartment door, demanding that she come over to his place so that he could show her what "the culinary arts were _really_ all about."

Korra had tried to ignore the man's persistent knocking, but after a while it became unbearable and she gave into the game he was trying to play.

And now she was here – staring blankly at Mr. Master Chef as he rummaged around in his cabinets for the appropriate pots and pans they were going to use for the lesson.

"Did you hear me?" Korra piped up, leaning against the counter and watching him. "I said this is _stupid_."

"Really? All I can hear is 'I'm insecure about my cooking skills so I'm trying to hide it with aggression'," Mako fired back nonchalantly, straightening up and kicking a drawer shut. He turned, arms crossed, and looked down at Korra with solid amber eyes.

Korra flushed, her fists clenched. "_You are so annoying_," she seethed, failing to think of a proper comeback.

Mako, for the first time she'd known him, flashed an amused smile. "Glad you think so." He motioned for Korra to stand beside him in front of the cutting board. Korra reluctantly ambled over.

"So what are we making, Captain?" Korra asked sarcastically.

"Vegetable soup."

"… What?"

Mako looked over at Korra, who was sticking her tongue out in disgust.

"Is there a problem?"

"Yeah, there is," Korra stated, glaring at the array of vegetables he had laid out on the cutting board. "I'm a waterbender, and in the Water Tribe we like to eat… well, _meat_." She grabbed a carrot off the board and waved it flimsily in her hand. "Pork, beef, seal jerky, arctic hen… get the picture?"

Mako nodded, plucking the carrot from her grasp. "And I'm a firebender, and in the Fire Nation we're also fond of grilling meats…" He placed a hand on Korra's forearm, indicating for her to back up a bit. When she did he grabbed a knife and started cutting the carrot with swift and even precision. Korra watched him, her eyes widening.

… But I don't use my cultural background as a limitation," Mako continued. "I think you should be open to all sorts of foods. Including," he scooped up the carrots and dumped them into the simmering pot on the stove, "vegetables."

Korra groaned.

"Why don't you try?" Mako suggested, stepping aside from the cutting board. "I promise – it's important to learn how to cook stuff like this. You can't just eat _arctic hen_ every night, Korra."

"What, now you're concerned about my diet?" Korra snapped, taking the knife from his hand and placing a carrot in front of her. "I thought you were just annoyed that I kept setting things on fire."

Mako visibly blushed, and Korra smirked. He looked cute when he was flustered…

_Wait, what? Focus, Korra!_

"Well… I, uh… yeah, that part is obviously annoying too… but I care about you," Mako stuttered. "You're my neighbor," he added quickly before Korra could interject. "It's important that we look out for each other, that's all."

"Hmm, if you say so, Chef," Korra said, slowly cutting up the carrot. Her pieces were uneven and sloppy and she noticed Mako watching in distress.

"You're doing it wrong."

Korra's hand was caught in midair as Mako moved behind her. She went still as he positioned his fingers around hers. He helped hold the knife steady and also grasped her hand that kept the carrot in place.

"What are you doing?!"

"_Helping_," Mako stated, moving their joined hands together. They started cutting the carrot up into slow, even pieces. "You're going to cut yourself someday if you don't learn how to properly do this."

"Hmph," Korra grunted, but did not push away from the firebender. She let him guide her hand and grew accustomed to the rhythmic movement of the knife against the vegetables.

After a few minutes, Korra realized that Mako had released her hands and had stepped back. He was now leaning against the counter watching her.

"You're doing well," he commented.

"… Thanks."

Once she was finished she scooped up all of the cut pieces and dumped them into the pot.

"Now I need you to measure some things out," Mako said, handing her a jar of tomato sauce.

Korra stared at him blankly.

"We don't _only_ put vegetables into vegetable stew, Korra… that'd be… _ugh_." He shuddered at the thought.

"Well _excuse_ me – I don't know how your fancy Fire Nation dishes work," Korra snapped, snatching the jar from him and prying it open.

"It actually originates from the Air Nomads."

"_Whatever_."

Mako chuckled at her frustration and the two set to work measuring out the correct ingredients to add to the stew. They passed the time in silence, and Mako was surprised to find that it wasn't uncomfortable like he figured it would be. Despite her horrible past attempts at cooking, Korra wasn't actually _bad_ at it. With proper instruction, she did well.

Twenty minutes later Mako was pouring the stew into two bowls while Korra was rummaging around in his cabinets for proper silverware. He set their food on the table and they both sat down, facing each other.

Korra swirled her spoon around in her bowl of stew, looking down at it distrustfully.

"Try it," Mako urged. "I think you'll like it."

Korra grimaced before she scooped some of the stew up and brought it to her lips. She swallowed the food and Mako waited with an amused smile on his face.

She hesitated before placing the spoon down and looking up at him. "Well… um… it was fun to make, at least…"

Mako blanched. "_What_? You don't like it?!"

Korra shrugged. "Sorry, it just tastes… bad."

"I _grew up_ with this dish, it _can't_ taste bad," Mako snapped, scooping up some of the stew and tasting it as well.

He nearly choked.

"See?" Korra said cockily over his desperate coughing as he reached for his glass of water. "It's _really_ bad!"

"I don't understand," Mako groaned, jumping to his feet and inspecting the remaining stew that sat in the pot on the stove. "We cooked it _exactly_ like the recipe said." He opened the fridge and checked to see which ingredients they had recently used.

He froze and his eyes widened.

"Korra… come here," he said, calling her over. When she joined him he pointed to the red bottle sitting near the front of the shelf.

"What's wrong?"

He pulled the bottle out and handed it to her. "Did you… put some of this into the stew?"

"Yeah – you told me we needed ketchup…" Her breath hitched. "_Shoot_."

Mako placed the bottle of hot sauce back into the fridge. "You had _one_ job, Korra," he moaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Korra snapped, standing on her tip-toes to get on his level. "You were rushing me!"

"_Rushing you_? No I wasn't!"

"Were too!"

Mako was about to shout back, but his stomach beat him to the punch. It growled furiously and he cursed.

"Okay… look, no hard feelings," Mako muttered, sticking his hand out to Korra awkwardly. "We _both_ messed up. Truce?"

Korra pouted, but shook his hand nonetheless. "Truce." Her stomach growled as well, and she blushed and wrapped her arms around her torso. "I'm starving."

"Same…"

Korra checked the clock on the stove. "It's already one in the morning… what's still open at this hour?"

Mako thought for a moment. "Narook's?"

Korra's eyes lit up. "Noodles it is then!"

"We're not going to make eating out a regular habit, though! It defeats the purpose!" Mako yelled to her and she ran out the door to get her things in her apartment.

"Yeah, yeah!" She called back.

Mako sighed and turned to the untouched bowls of stew on the table before smiling.


End file.
